Why I bought my rmbp 13"

[WangSamurai]

*Disclaimer* This post is about why I picked what I picked. That decision was based on what I plan to use it for, so this won't apply to everyone.

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has posted on the countless "Which one should I get" threads. Your input was most helpful when it came time for me to get my macbook!

I was stuck between getting either a fully loaded mba 13" or the rmbp 13". I plan on using the machine for some xcode development, general day to day use (web surfing, e-mail, etc..) and I don't plan on playing any games because I have a custom Windows box for that. I went with the 2.5ghz, 8gb ram, and 128gb ssd. I didn't go with the 256 because I can just get a 128gb SDXC card for around $100 if I run into space issues.

The reasons I went with the rmbp:

• The CPU is much better
• Text is so much clearer
• If I ever want to sell it in the future, I'm sure the rmbp will sell better than a non-retina mba (coming in the next refresh?).
• The screen

I was originally planing on waiting for Haswell but after doing some reading it looks like that won't be coming until mid-late Q3 and I've been waiting since December. I just got the rmbp today and I can say without a doubt that I made the right choice. The first thing I did was install 10.8.3 and I haven't had a single issue with lag. Side note* I've noticed that a lot of the people complaining about lag never really indicate what kind of a load the system is under. I'm not saying there wasn't/isn't a problem with the lag, I just have a feeling that some of the complaints might be from having 12 tabs open while listening to music and trying to edit 1080p video

 

[Orlandoech]

Good choice! Now that the price has been lowered on the 13" is far more reasonable and logical.

 

[Applefanboy8153]

*Disclaimer* This post is about why I picked what I picked. That decision was based on what I plan to use it for, so this won't apply to everyone.

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has posted on the countless "Which one should I get" threads. Your input was most helpful when it came time for me to get my macbook!

I was stuck between getting either a fully loaded mba 13" or the rmbp 13". I plan on using the machine for some xcode development, general day to day use (web surfing, e-mail, etc..) and I don't plan on playing any games because I have a custom Windows box for that. I went with the 2.5ghz, 8gb ram, and 128gb ssd. I didn't go with the 256 because I can just get a 128gb SDXC card for around $100 if I run into space issues.

The reasons I went with the rmbp:

• The CPU is much better
• Text is so much clearer
• If I ever want to sell it in the future, I'm sure the rmbp will sell better than a non-retina mba (coming in the next refresh?).
• The screen

I was originally planing on waiting for Haswell but after doing some reading it looks like that won't be coming until mid-late Q3 and I've been waiting since December. I just got the rmbp today and I can say without a doubt that I made the right choice. The first thing I did was install 10.8.3 and I haven't had a single issue with lag. Side note* I've noticed that a lot of the people complaining about lag never really indicate what kind of a load the system is under. I'm not saying there wasn't/isn't a problem with the lag, I just have a feeling that some of the complaints might be from having 12 tabs open while listening to music and trying to edit 1080p video

No retina MacBook Air next year as the current rmbp 13 is already ultra portable and also the processor on the MBA would be insufficient to drive all those pixels. I don't think apple is ready to sacrifice their next gen pro and introduce a rmba. The MacBook pro is for prosumers who want power and versatility whereas the MBA is aimed as consumers looking for an ultra portable machine for computing on the go. I hope that the next MBA will have a full 1080p screen, a better processor and 4G LTE.

 

[WangSamurai]

Good choice! Now that the price has been lowered on the 13" is far more reasonable and logical.

Exactly! Actually, I got pretty lucky when it came to buying my rmbp. I was seriously on my way out the door to go to the Apple store and pick one up when I thought "maybe I should check the refurbished store online". I went online and sure enough there it was, the exact specs I wanted and $230 less. In my 2 months of research and checking the refurbished store I hadn't seen a 13" rmbp pop up. I figured it was a sign and I bought it right then with no questions asked.

 

[rrm998]

Welcome to another happy Retina owner! And you got a good deal. I was lucky to find a very good price on my 15" on ebay -- people sometimes create poor ads that don't draw any bids (except mine). So I know the feeling.

Like others, I don't think there will be a Retina MBA until Apple can clearly differentiate the MBA and MBP lines with the display being same.

 

[Krazy Bill]

I plan on using the machine for some xcode development, general day to day use (web surfing, e-mail, etc..) and I don't plan on playing any games

The rMBP might be overkill but with the recent price drop I don't understand why anybody would go with the MBA. For about $200 more you get a beefed up machine with a decent CPU and it weighs in at only 1/2 pound more.

You chose wisely.